


Opened

by Blueberryshortcake



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Blue's Micro Aus, Gen, Prompt Fill, coffee shop AU, runaway bride au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-01
Updated: 2018-09-01
Packaged: 2019-07-05 07:57:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15859476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blueberryshortcake/pseuds/Blueberryshortcake
Summary: Closing should have gone nice and smooth, but a Runaway Bride disrupts Carolina's regular routine.





	Opened

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from oxfordmodernfairytales: Kai and Lina for your AU microfic idea?

Carolina gazed around the coffee shop.

Everything was in place. No straw sticking out, no dust, chalkboard carefully designed with tomorrow’s daily specials. 

Everything was ready, she just had to close the till–

Urgent tapping interrupted her closing time flow. 

Carolina took a deep breath tempted to not look up from the POS. The time was clearly stated on the door.

Another urgent knock.

Okay, fine, the hard way. Carolina looked up preparing herself for the eye contact-head shake–

A beautiful woman stood outside her door mascara running looking at her pleadingly… in a full wedding gown.

Without thinking Carolina went to the door and unlocked it, letting the woman slip in.

“Thank you! I’m so sorry! I know you’re closed. I worked in clothing and I hated when assholes tried to get in after closing time–” She sniffed and continued to babble. Carolina locked the door again and lead the bride to an empty booth sitting her down. 

“You need some water?” Carolina asked. The bride nodded. Carolina went over to grab some. “What’s your name?” She asked while filling one of the ceramic coffee mugs. 

“Kaikaina–sorry–this is stupid, I should let you–”

“You’re here now, sit down,” Carolina ordered. She passed the coffee mug to Kaikaina and sat across from her. Kaikaina settled again. She took an offered napkin and whipped her face smudging more of what had probably been perfectly done makeup.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Carolina asked. 

“I–” Kaikaina hesitated. She burst out laughing, more tears rolling down her face. “I look ridiculous don’t I? Like. Oh! Some random runaway bride breaking into your coffee shop at closing time.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I don’t… really want to talk about it. I just…”

“What do you want to do?”

“Oh fuck, I don’t want to think about doing anything right now. My brother would tell me to trust my instincts… fuck I wish he was here.”

“I can call him if you want.”

“No… I… I want to be out of this dress. Is what I really really want.” She paused and gave Carolina a small saucy smile, like she had a half formed flirt that didn’t quite go all the way.

Carolina smiled back and thought about it. Kai was too big and tall for her gym clothes, but maybe North or Maine left something? Maine’s would be too big but…

“Stay here, drink more water.” Carolina went to the back room. It was the only place in the shop she allowed to get out of order. Lockers were stuffed full of personal items and various junk. There was even a skateboard under the lunch table and a rubber ducky hidden among the mugs. Cat pictures had been pinned on the policy board. Wash…

She dug around and eventually found Maine’s white basketball shorts (that smelled clean), a purple top that belonged to North that said: Nacho Man with a Cornchip wearing sunglasses doing finger guns on the front (better than nothing), and a pair of Wash’s sandals (He had fairly small feet). After a bit more digging she found her makeup kit she had stashed that South, CT, and Butch kept thieving from. 

She headed back in. Kaikaina was staring out the window out onto the street. Passerbys were peeking in curiously, but quickened their pace, maybe at the expression Kaikaina was making at them.

“I’m… not sure if it’ll fit, but…”

“Oh my god!” Kaikaina stood. “You even have sandals!” She teared up. “My feet are fucking killing me, you are THE fucking best.”

She went over and hugged Carolina tightly. Carolina stood stalk still. Kaikaina pulled back taking the clothes and beamed at her. “Thank you so much.”   
  
“Bathroom’s over there,” Carolina pointed trying hard to hide a blush. Kaikaina’s heels clicked on the tile floor as she rushed to the restroom. Carolina started closing the till. After a few minutes Kaikaina came back out. North’s shirt was a little tight and Maine’s shorts a bit loose, but she made it work. Her face had been scrubbed of all the blended makeup and replaced with some mascara, purple lipstick, and light foundation. Her thick curly hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail. Kaikaina sighed happily. She looked like a beach bum, but so much more comfortable.

“Where’s the dress? I… might be able to get a bag…?”

“It’s in the trash,” Kaikaina answered happily. It was like ridding herself of the dress had released her from it’s power. She leaned up against the counter watching Carolina count bills. “I hope that’s okay.”

“It’s fine, Wash is opening up, he’ll have the best reaction to it.” Carolina chuckled imagining the squeaky WHAT?!?!? bound to echo in the woman’s bathroom in eight hours. 

Kaikaina snickered, ”Is he Nacho man?” 

“No, that’s another of my co-workers.” 

They fell into an easy conversation about her ridiculous co-workers and theories about how Wash would react to the dress. The last of the money was counted. Kaikaina hesitated. 

“Well… thank you… for everything… I… I guess I owe you an explanation…”

She did, she really did but…

Carolina didn’t need the closure. “Wanna go to a bar? There’s a good one nearby.”

“Fuck. Yes. You are officially my favorite person. Let’s get foo–I don’t have my wallet.”

“It’s on me,” Carolina chuckled. “They have good nachos too.”

“Hooooly fuck can I marry you? I have the dress,” Kaikaina grinned. “It’s only a little wrinkled.

“The only ring I can get for you is onion, so maybe let’s skip the nuptials.”

‘You’re… you’ve been really cool about this. Like… unfazed. Do a lot of bridezilla’s show up crying at your door?”

They left the shop. Carolina locked up. Kai naturally looped her arm in Carolina’s. Carolina smiled and let herself relax. 

“I was in the army. When I got out nothing normal was normal anymore. Everything felt… underwater. Hard to reach. Disorganized, chaotic, it felt dangerous even though I knew I was safe. The way I was able to deal with that was… other people.” She shuffled. Kai’s arm tightened around hers a little. “When people need to be helped, you should always try… I guess that’s it.” Carolina coughed. She didn’t mean to say all that, but maybe it was the bizarre situation, or that Kaikaina was easy to talk to, put her at ease in a way that only people she had known a long time were able to do.

“You’re an awesome person,” Kaikaina declared. “Let’s get wasted.”

Carolina barked with sudden laughter. “Sounds good.” 


End file.
